


we see each other in visions (never in reality)

by extrarice



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Dreams, F/M, Fate & Destiny, Flashes, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mild Smut, Minor Bughead, Past Varchie, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, So It's Unedited, Soulmates, inspired by a tiktok trend, minor falice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27265723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extrarice/pseuds/extrarice
Summary: Jughead Jones must have done something wrong in his past life to end up with Veronica Lodge as his soulmate. Though, he supposes as he stares at her swaying hips, he could have done a lot worse.An AU where soulmates get recurring dreams of their future together, maybe even visions when they briefly touch each other.
Relationships: Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 31
Kudos: 133





	1. let's dream just a little

On a numb Thursday night, Jughead finds Veronica in his booth.

He sets up his laptop as he normally does, lets the humming of his laptop fill the dead air. He thinks Veronica has seen better days, notably last week at her father’s funeral. Maroon lips, a fur coat ensemble, and hard eyes—she was straight out of a movie scene. He wonders why she always had to put up such a mask. Looking at her now, broken eyes and ruffled hair, he feels a bit flattered that she isn’t putting a show for him.

Paul takes their order (he asks for black coffee and a cheeseburger) and walks back to the kitchen.

“You usually come here at around ten,” Veronica comments. Straightforward and flat, she leans forward, glaring at the laptop that is acting like a barrier between them.

Jughead rubs the bridge of his nose before pushing it out of the way. Now, they are facing each other fully; her with crossed arms and him resting his elbows on the table. He raises an eyebrow, “And why were you waiting for me on a school night?”

She scowls, “Can’t sleep.”

He mimics her, “Well, I can’t help you with that.”

Her nose flares. He does not flinch this time (the first time he had seen this expression was during sophomore year when he touched her for the first time), and instead sighs. Jughead gives into her wishes, “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she mumbles.

He glares, “So why are you here verbally sparring me?”

Veronica does not meet his eyes. At this, he feels shittier than usual (though it’s not that big of a difference) and he musters a short apology. She waves it off, pointedly stating the facts, “I don’t need your pity. We don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“What do you want then?” Jughead says exasperatedly.

“Stories,” Veronica quips. She lazily rolls back her gaze towards him, her eyes are always so dim without any light source, and continues, “Tell me your dreams.”

“You know every single one,” he mutters. He focuses back on his laptop before the screen dims and opens up the word document of his would-be novel. Carefully, he stretches his fingers out before typing in the few words that was biting his mind a few hours before.

“I can’t stop dreaming,” she says.

His fingers stop mid-air. He peers across, narrowing his eyes at her. “What do you mean? I haven’t had any dreams since last month.”

Last month was his birthday, and dreams were supposed to get stronger as you grew older.

“I…” she trails off. She lowers her eyes and plays with her fingers, “It was a beautiful apartment. There was always a gorgeous view of the city beside the bed, kind of like our old penthouse back in New York.”

“Yeah, I had that last year,” he confesses. He watches her closely; her emotions seem to drop whenever he spoke. “I remember that the apartment was bigger than the trailer. That’s why I kind of hated it.”

She nods mutely. “Well, it’s not dreams per se.”

He doesn’t speak, afraid of the tension in the air. He allows her to continue, holding a breath with every word. Veronica takes that gratefully. She looks out of the window, and he knows that she’s embarrassed by what she’s about to say, and admits, “I was actively thinking about it all.”

“I thought we said—”

“I know what I said,” she interrupts. At this, she glances back at Jughead, heat behind her eyes. It simmers down as she explains, “Sometimes, I just wish I can fast forward to where there’s happiness in my life.”

Jughead purses his lips.

At that moment, Paul comes back with Jughead’s orders. Veronica sweetly asks for a plate of onion rings for herself. Jughead raises a finger so she can correct her order to also add a plate of fries. She quickly gets his message.

Jughead takes a huge bite of his burger. Through the juicy meat and thick buns, he asks, “Do you know Kubla Khan?”

She doesn’t comment on his bad eating manners. She smiles and says, “Yeah, I’m familiar.”

“It was composed because of an opium-induced dream, right?”

“Where are you getting with this?”

He swallows the last of the chewed burger. Jughead explains with sad eyes, “Coleridge was interrupted from the dream, perhaps that’s why the poem feels unnaturally cut off. Dreams are only dreams and yet they produce such vivid imagination. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that keeps people afloat.”

Veronica doesn’t speak for a moment.

Jughead decides to conclude his argument, “Time passes faster than you think.”

* * *

Betty’s giggles can sometimes boost Jughead’s day. She runs her hands through his hair, mumbling about Blue & Gold and how her mother almost confiscated her phone last week. Polly is doing well, this is what he registers in her dialogue, and Jason comes over sometimes to bring gifts. He understands Alice is warming up to the idea of the couple moving in together, especially now that Hal has left Riverdale entirely.

“Dad visits on the weekend sometimes, but Polly really never talks to him,” Betty frowns. She plants sweet kisses on his cheeks, “I suppose the whole Sisters of Quiet Mercy stuff had shaken her.”

Jughead brushes the blonde hair out of her eyes. “But her online classes are doing okay?”

“Yeah!” she bristles, “Polly’s a genius. I just wish she was still attending school with me.”

“Hey, Betts, Jug!” someone comes up behind them. It’s Archie, like the golden retriever he is, he comes barreling down towards them. He gives a quick pat on the back for Jughead and a longer lingering hug for Betty. Jughead averts his eyes at this, a painful memory flashing through his mind.

“Hey, Arch,” Betty hums happily. “Where’s V? Isn’t your practice already over?”

Archie bobs his head. “Yeah, she said that I should meet up with you guys first. She’s going to catch up.”

Jughead rolls his eyes. “Typical.”

Betty laughs, slapping Jughead’s arm playfully. She glares, but there’s no real heat in her eyes, just pure infatuation, “It’s our senior year and you two are _still_ fighting?”

He shrugs his shoulder, catching Archie’s eyes when they flicker over to Betty’s pink lips. He purses his own lips before looking back at his girlfriend, “We’re water and oil: never to be mixed.”

Before any of his friends can comment, someone huffs from behind them. The three quickly turn, each with their own expression on their faces. Veronica has changed from her cheerleader outfit into her outfit from earlier: a thick coat with high-waisted pants and boots that almost reaches her knees. As usual, she is flawless, albeit a bit sweaty from practice. She glares at Jughead, “Well, I’m certainly not the oil. I moisturize, thank you very much—something you should really consider investing in, Torombolo.”

The other two greet the raven-haired girl with hugs and kisses. When they aren’t looking, Jughead consciously wipes the sides of his nose, knowing that it is the oiliest part of his face. It’s not like he can afford any moisturizing product, he reasons, not everyone is overflowing with blood money like Veronica Lodge.

As the thought enters his mind, and the four of them trudge on to walk out of school, he regrets it. It is not Veronica’s fault she was born in such a family, and it’s not like karma hadn’t bitten their cold ass back. Hermione now works for the local government for a menial salary, while the Lodge Industries has basically gotten bankrupt after all the exposes done and, as if to rub more salt into their wounds, Hiram Lodge had died when everything was falling apart for them.

He glances at Veronica. She’s looking back at him, as if she knows what he is thinking and is waiting for his reaction. They look away immediately when their eyes meet. He wraps his scarf tighter around his neck, wishing that it’s enough to cover his glowing cheeks.

On Friday nights, Pop’s is in its peak of business. Students come flooding in after their classes and extracurriculars, obnoxious as they change the song on the jukebox thrice in under five minutes or as they eat too much they can handle and leave half-eaten burgers or half-empty milkshakes on their tables. Jughead hates food waste; a person must know the limit of food they can eat.

They arrive in Pop’s in Archie’s pick-up truck. Archie and Betty snag the first table they see; a small table that’s been recently cleaned, right by the booths. He wrinkles his nose in distaste, glancing around to look if a booth is free. Unfortunately, the booths are always the first to fill up on days like these.

Veronica tugs on his jacket, carefully not letting her skin touch his. She gestures towards the table, “Come on, Torombolo, the tables aren’t bad.”

They move towards their friends. Jughead scowls, “They’re creaky and cramped. I can’t enjoy the view outside or even pull out my laptop without bumping into others. They’re stupid.”

She huffs at his immaturity, “You have to suck it up, drama queen. No one’s getting any booths on a Friday night.”

“I’m tempted to drive here on my own to reserve a booth for us,” he mutters. They sit down across each other, Jughead instinctively holding Betty’s free hand.

“That’s sweet, but I’d have to banish you from our friend group if you ever do that,” Veronica says. Archie and Betty look at them bemusedly. It’s at this point that they realize that their friends had been listening to their conversation. To mask her embarrassment, Veronica grabs the menu from Archie’s hands and naturally changes the subject, “I’m hungry. Do you think Pop’s fish and chips have improved?”

“Don’t bother,” Jughead replies, “Stick with a burger, normie.”

She glares at him but refuses to continue their banter.

Betty laughs (Archie is laughing with her), “Oh, I can’t believe you think you hate each other. You so totally _love_ each other.”

They don’t dare reply on Betty’s observation. Jughead removes his scarf, feeling suddenly hot, before deciding to take the fall for both of them. He knows that Veronica hates talking about anything that has to do with their complicated relationship. “Don’t be ridiculous, Betts. I’d rather gouge my eyes than consider the epitome of capitalism as my friend.”

Because Betty has always been innocent, love to her is difficult to separate from platonic or romantic. She loves too much, loves often, and is loved by almost everyone. Jughead had been conscious about this fact for the first months of their relationship—and it is still bleeding in his insecurities until now.

He looks over to Archie. Fondness cover his features when he talks to Betty. Not even Veronica, who he had dated for over a year, had the luxury of receiving such a gaze. Jughead knows that their countdown has started; it’s only a matter of time before their relationship crumbles into dust.

But for now, Jughead orders a double-decker cheeseburger and chocolate milkshake. He raises a finger at Veronica, and she orders a club sandwich and a plate of fries.

* * *

He has a love-hate relationship with winter. Winter means colder months which means he gets to wear his favorite heavy coat, but it also means that the trailer’s unbearably cold. His dad tells him that he’s going to install a heater before December comes but Jughead does not hold much hope for that.

He lands on Riverdale’s public library. There’s a barely working heater inside, but it also has a beautiful fireplace. A few people go to the public library during winter, so he usually snags the comfiest and warmest position possible. He’s clutching another book he had borrowed from the same library on one hand— _Things Fall Apart_ by Chinua Achebe—and his laptop on the other. He’s planning to finish a few assignments, hopefully some parts of his novel.

Jughead walks inside. To his dismay, someone else is on his designated area. He steps nearer and he realizes that he knows this person.

“Hey,” Veronica greets lazily. An opened book sits snugly on her lap.

“What are you doing here?” Jughead furrows his eyebrows. He sits on the other chair across it; it makes a creaking sound when he sits, which is one of the reasons he had crossed this place out when he was looking for a perfect place to loiter.

“Reading,” she shrugs. She rubs her fingers on the book, sadness blooming in her eyes. “Mom’s selling some of the stuff at the Pembrooke. Best if I don’t disturb their work.”

Translation: She’s attached with some of the belongings and can’t bring herself to say goodbye to any of them.

Jughead bites back the teasing that emerges from his throat. Coughing it out, he asks, “How did you know I’d be here?”

“Who says I was looking for you?” she raises an eyebrow, demanding as always, “I didn’t know you’d be here, though I could do with some company.”

“Of course, you do,” a beat, then, Jughead cannot help it, “Will they be selling your wardrobe too?”

She shrugs once again. He finds this irritating, out of character for Veronica Lodge. He likes her temper best; the flare in her nose, the heat in her eyes, the spark that lights between them as they exchange friendly insults. Veronica puts the book up, _The Handmaid’s Tale_ by Margaret Atwood, to signify that their conversation is done.

Jughead rolls his eyes but decides to read Achebe and to boot up his laptop, pushing the raven-haired woman at the back of his mind.

What seemed hours in their small bubble is popped when Veronica’s phone chimes to notify that she has a new message. His coherent thought for a sentence in his novel simmers down, and he’s left to stare blankly at his screen, wondering how he moves this specific scene forward. Jughead finds strength to give a harsh look at Veronica before deciding to pick up his book and read, hopefully some inspiration may come.

From across him, Veronica sighs. She quickly stands up, but the book on her lap falls, forgotten by her. Jughead quickly reaches out to grab it for her, but at the same time she crouches down to grab it herself. Their lack of conversation causes their fingers to touch for the first time in forever.

Once they touch, he feels the familiar electric spark go through his body again. He blinks once and suddenly his lips are all over Veronica’s neck. Her legs wrapped around him, heat on their crotches, Veronica herself leaning towards the sky, beautiful, transcendent.

They pull away in shock. His laptop almost falls, but he settles it carefully. The flashes always seem so real, but they’re not. Never real. He is still staring at the book, the handmaid’s cone-like hat staring back. His eyes flicker to Veronica, she is trembling.

Jughead sets his laptop down on the chair as he stands up. He walks over to her, closer but never touching, “What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head. “I-I just can’t keep doing this anymore, Jug. Why do we have to be cursed like this?”

“It’s not a curse,” he whispers comfortingly.

Tears seem to prick in her eyes, but she blinks quickly, she’d never cry in public. She sniffs, “It _is_. I’m being punished, I can’t look at my best friend’s boyfriend in his eyes because I’m afraid of the dreams, o-of the _flashes_. And I can’t even be friends with you because I’m so afraid if we are then I might…”

She turns away. Jughead wants to comfort her, scoop her up, hug her and whisper to her that everything will be all right. But not really, not when they have this burning secret ravaging their minds. He reaches out to place his hand gently on her shoulder, flashes don’t happen often, but they avoid touching nonetheless just in case they do. He says, “I know. I’m afraid of all this, too.”

Veronica slowly turns back to him. She narrows her eyes at his, like she does when she’s carefully analyzing something. He often sees this look during their English lessons or when she’s watching a good movie or reading a good book. She shakes her head, laughing a bit to herself, “No, you don’t understand me at all, Jug.”

He knots his eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

She smacks the hand away from her and reaches out to grab the book. “Nothing at all, Jones. My mom’s looking for me, so I have to go.”

“ _Veronica_ ,” he musters out, dark and with a warning.

“So much for having a soulmate,” she huffs, not bothering on explaining what she meant. Veronica leaves, hips swaying, hair in the wind, chin upwards—as if she wasn’t about to cry a minute ago.

Soulmates, Jughead thinks, are perhaps the most confusing thing in this world of theirs. Right below Veronica Lodge, of course.

The thing is, not everyone gets those flashes and dreams that soulmates have when they meet. So, there are a lot of skeptics surrounding it. Most assume that it’s not real at all because they haven’t experienced it. Jughead presumes that not everyone has a soulmate, but Fred Andrews tells him that everyone does, but not everyone is blessed by the universe on ways to find them.

This phenomenon is unexplainable. It happens, sure, but no one seems willing to truly delve in deeper. As far as Jughead knows, it’s not genetic at all. Fred Andrews had those dreams and he ended up with his wife Mary, but Archie doesn’t seem to have those dreams, and he usually told Jughead everything. FP, his own father, claims that he had those dreams but not with his ex-wife, not with Jughead’s mother. His father also mentioned that Alice had those dreams with Hal presumably (though they’ve since divorced now), but Betty doesn’t have those dreams. Neither does Polly, based on Betty’s many stories about her.

Jughead wonders why the universe has set him up with Veronica, someone so completely opposite of him. He still remembers the day they realized it—

It was a sunny day, winter was about to go and, despite the snow, Jughead could already feel the smell of spring on his nose. It was about the week after Veronica and Archie announced that they were dating (and a year since Veronica arrived at Riverdale). Betty, despite her huge crush on Archie, peppered the two with congratulations. This was how the two became best friends.

Veronica had walked up to him. Though they’ve met before, they never tried sparking a real conversation until now. She held out a hand, “You’re Jughead, right? Archie’s best friend? I’m Veronica, his girlfriend.”

Behind her, he could see Archie showing off two thumbs-up, as if to say that she was cool, and he should befriend her as well. But Jughead had no plans to make friends, he already knew her type, already knew the bullying they did and the superiority they held on to. He shook her hand, “Yeah, I know.”

But the moment their hands touched; it was like magic. It was the first time he had felt the electric shock, the first time his heart had skipped a beat. Their first flash consisted of a seemingly real kiss, right in the hallway they were standing on. His lips had tasted like cinnamon for hours after that.

Veronica must had known about soulmates before because she shrieked, her nose flaring, and cheeks beet red and ran away. Confusedly, Archie shot Jughead a look before running after her.

Sometime after, they decided to never talk about it. Veronica loved Archie too much, and her father even approved of him. Jughead simply wanted to stay out of their business, so the truce was form. They went their separate ways, though Betty and Veronica seemed inseparable since then. Months before Archie and Veronica would break up, Betty would take a shot and kiss Jughead during the summer. They decided to give dating a chance. 

Jughead ~~often~~ sometimes wonders what would have happened if Veronica Lodge hadn’t met Archie in Pop’s first.

* * *

Veronica doesn’t speak to him for a few days. It drives Jughead nuts, but he doesn’t dare tell her that. Instead, he goes on about his day, refusing to let his urge to speak to Veronica overcome him. She easily avoids him by texting Betty that Cheryl, the head cheerleader, needs her. Betty doesn’t notice anything wrong and why should she? He and Veronica are at most acquaintances, so Betty never correctly guesses the reason for his agitation.

“Juggie,” Betty starts during one of their Blue & Gold meetings. “Have you finished your piece yet? Tomorrow’s the deadline.”

“Yeah, I…I’ll send it tomorrow,” Jughead grumbles. He glares at the screen of his laptop, angry at the half-written piece. More so, he’s angry at himself, angry at his irrational behavior. He glances at Betty who looks preoccupied with her own thing. Next, he risks a glance at Toni Topaz, the other member of Blue & Gold. The pink-haired girl looks amused, a knowing look in her eyes.

Toni is the only person who knows about him and Veronica. He doesn’t know how she had connected the two together, but Toni mentions the way they often looked at each other, with pain and longing, as if they are waiting for a miracle to happen. Besides Archie and Betty, perhaps Toni is the one who can truly dissect him. She knows him for far too long, far too deep. He was surprised, in fact, that it took almost half a year for her to figure it out.

Betty’s phone chimes. She reads the text message and frowns. Glancing at Jughead and Toni, she moves to fix her things. “Sorry, guys, my mom said Polly is feeling unwell. Her due date is almost near, so I think that’s the reason…”

“No problem, Betts,” Toni says, “We’ll handle it from here.”

The blonde sends them a grateful expression. She quickly kisses Jughead goodbye, waves them off, and, just like that, she’s gone.

“So,” Toni hums, eyes pique with interest, “What happened with you and Ronnie?”

Jughead frowns, “Nothing.”

She rolls her eyes, “ _Please_. Your legs can’t keep still, and you keep on glancing at the door. Finally realized that you should call it quits with Elle Woods?”

He scowls, closing his laptop with frustration. Surprising the two of them, Jughead decides to be honest, “Veronica’s been avoiding me.”

“What happened?” Toni immediately switches tactics. She knows when to tease him and when it’s time to be serious; she has always been empathic like that. She raises both eyebrows, coming to his same conclusion, “What did you say to her?”

“I don’t know!” Jughead wrings his hand. “I’ve been repeating our conversation again and again, but I don’t know where it went wrong.”

Toni climbs over their two desks and sits on his, her butt slightly touching his laptop. She stares, dark eyes intrigued, and demands, “Tell me.”

Jughead swallows and starts recounting their conversation in the public library. He sees Toni narrow her eyes, before looking out at the window in a dazed look. If Veronica looks too analytical when listening, Toni doesn’t look like she’s keen to listen. But Jughead already knows her wells as well. Toni may look uninterested, but she is actually intently listening. After, she always seems to know what to say.

She claps her hands just as Jughead wraps the story. She is shaking her head, which usually means that she’s disappointed at his actions, “You… _barnacle head!_ ”

He furrows his eyebrows, afraid to disagree, “Okay, so what did I do?”

She glares, “You know what, I don’t even want to say. Honestly, watching the two of you dancing around your feelings is like watching a telenovela trying to extend their show. It gets really tiring.”

But Jughead couldn’t care less about telenovelas. He demands, “What feelings?”

Toni sighs, “Look, Jug, you guys are soulmates for a reason. Think about the real reason you’re pushing her away.”

Jughead thinks about it. The first reason that comes to mind is because they decided on it a long time ago. Right beneath the bleachers, she had jabbed her finger on his chest and told him face-to-face that she loved Archie. No matter who her soulmate would be, no matter their situation. She had looked so confident that Jughead didn’t even raise his argument (in hindsight, he didn’t have any argument at all). The second reason is that he loves Betty. Even just talking to Veronica feels like he’s doing a disservice to her. Though it’s not like they’re doing anything wrong. But the longer Jughead hangs around Veronica the more he realizes how pretty her eyes shine when they hit the sun or how perfect her smile looks when she finds something hilarious or how—

Something akin to dread stirs in his gut.

Panicked, his eyes land on Toni. She looks a little bit proud that he got to what she was insinuating. Moaning into his hands, his next words makes him realize the gravity of their situation, “Oh my God, we’re soulmates.”

Soulmates, he takes note later on, are deeper than he thought it would be.

They actually thought they could outrun. They thought, perhaps, the whole soulmate business was a sham. He could continue on loving Betty and she could love anyone else but him. He almost believed that they were one of the exceptions (after all, hadn’t his father walked away from his soulmate?). They _were_ oil and water: how can you mix polar opposites?

He glares at the pancakes in front of him, his appetite vanishing.

“What’s the problem, boy?” his father smacks his back a little too harshly, “The pancakes’ not enough?”

“No,” he grumbles, “I’m not in the mood to eat.”

The eyebrows on his father’s face turns to a knot. He takes a seat next to his son and asks seriously, “What’s the problem, Jug?”

Jughead watches the concern bounce in his eyes. Four years ago, his father wouldn’t even bother to give him a second look. FP thrived in his self-loathing, and he couldn’t care less about anyone else. Not even his own son. But now, it’s different, and Jughead feels comfortable enough to ask, “Who’s your soulmate?”

FP’s eyebrows unknotted before raising in confusion. He laughs awkwardly, “What’s with the sudden question?”

Jughead bites his lower lip. “Well… I have a soulmate.”

If FP had been surprised before, he is in pure shock right now. He sputters out, “W-what? With Betty?”

“Tell me about your soulmate first,” Jughead says.

His father sighs, “All right, all right.

“Well, it’s not an interesting story. We met at Riverdale High, she was a Southsider as well, and we hooked up a bunch of times. Unfortunately, I took her for granted… and she walked away with another man,” FP’s eyes glaze over at his story, as if he’s reliving the memories himself, “It’s crazy, though, how there’s something inside me that always seem to long for her. I thought I could love Gladys as much as I did with her, but… Alice will always have my heart.”

Jughead jumps from his seat. Startled, he nearly shouts, “Your soulmate is Alice _Cooper_?!”

FP closes his eyes with regret. The name had slipped out, Jughead realizes, how long was his father going to hide that from him? The older man breathes out, “Calm down, Jug. I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

“But…” Jughead trails off. He frowns, guilt settling in, “She divorced Hal _months_ ago. Why didn’t you make a move?”

His father’s eyes fall to the floor and Jughead immediately knows the answer, “You didn’t want me and Betty to break up because of you?”

“Jug,” his father sternly captures his attention, “I’ve taken too much happiness in your life. I want you to be happy, and I know Betty makes you happy. I know if I told you, you two would freak out.”

“But, Dad,” Jughead starts. He doesn’t know what to feel—happy? Sad? Touched that his father loves him so much that he’s willing to waste a chance to be with his soulmate for him?

It’s everything and more, and his heart burns as if he ate too much meat. It’s all so overwhelming but why, why, why is it that all he can think about is how beautiful Veronica is when she smiles at him secretively, in an inside joke that only they can ever find funny.

He lets out a huge breath. FP stands up as well, worried. Jughead shakes his head and says for the first time in his life, “Betty’s not my soulmate.”

“What?” FP blinks.

“Betty is not my soulmate,” Jughead repeats. There’s no pain at all, only relief. “It’s Veronica.”

* * *

He meets Betty the day after. Before classes begin, they always hang around her locker, always talking about either Blue & Gold or Polly. Jughead realizes how small the range of their topics are, and he cannot help but feel a bit guilty for staying longer than he should have.

Betty’s grabbing some books in her locker. He leans on the one beside her and says, “We need to talk.”

“Your article must be passed before 5pm or else I’m cutting it off for this week’s issue,” she says, quite robotically.

“Not about that,” he says, caught off-guard for forgetting that he had a deadline. He shakes his head, “No, I meant more about us.”

She pauses, raising an eyebrow, “What?”

He gulps, but he tells himself that it’s a long time coming, “I think we should break up.”

The book she’s holding falls to the floor. Jughead quickly picks it up. He tries to hand it over, but he notices that she’s frozen. Her eyes are a little too glassy for his comfort. Betty sniffs aggressively (she does this to avoid her tears from leaking out), “Couldn’t this have waited after school?”

“Look, Betts,” Jughead is agitated again. The enlightenment from yesterday and earlier blinded him, maybe he should have done this more privately, “I just… I realized something—”

She flutters her eyes, the virality it always had is gone, replaced by such a drab grayish blue. His heart drowns with guilt. Betty opens her mouth, and Jughead’s sure that she’s about to wail in grief when someone steps in between them.

“B! Hi, I missed you. Sorry for bailing yesterday,” Veronica is all sweet and gentle. She grabs a clean handkerchief from her bag and allows Betty to grateful take it. The blonde wipes her tears, the sob stuck in her throat.

Veronica casts a quick glance over to Jughead, confusion in her face.

“Please tell me the reason, Jug,” Betty coughs out. She pleads in her eyes; hurt all-encompassing.

“Your mother and my father are soulmates,” he whispers gently, “I don’t want him to choose my happiness over his. They deserve each other.”

She furrows her eyebrows. “But soulmates aren’t real, Jug.”

Veronica regards him with curious eyes, dark and analytical. Jughead forces himself not to look back, instead his eyes remain on Betty’s. He sighs, “Ask your mom, Betts.”

“Even if they’re real,” she sputters out, “Why wouldn’t you want to give us a chance? It would be weird, but couldn’t we make it work?”

It may seem cold, but Jughead only has one reply to that, “I’m tired of pretending, Betts. You deserve better.”

Jughead knows Veronica has free period right about now, and she usually spends it in the student lounge. But she texts him to meet her at the closet beneath the stairs and he decides to skip his next subject to follow her request.

She’s crossing her arms when he gets there, her fingers on her collarbone. Veronica still looks for her pearls when it all feels uncontrollable.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Why did you do that?” Veronica whispers, though he doesn’t know who’d be able to hear them.

“Just as I said,” Jughead says, “I’m tired of pretending.”

She frowns, “But you know we can’t. I can’t do this to her, not again.”

He shrugs, “I don’t mind being friends.”

But it’s the way the closet was too cramped, too humid. They could feel their breath one each other, the heat of their bodies mingling, and though their conversation feels so casual, there’s a vapid electricity among them. Jughead can see it in her eyes: a possibility, a spark, a connection.

Veronica whispers again, this time he can feel it on his lips, “I’d love to be friends with you.”

Jughead scoops her up in his arms and kisses her. Hot, hot, hot, he thinks to himself as her tongue clashes with his, everything’s too hot. He peppers her neck with small kisses, she moans at the contact. She runs her hand through his hair and it’s the way her hands are aggressive, seductive, that he carries her and slams her on the wall. It feels like the library all over again.

“Jug,” she whispers. And then she pulls away, lips messed up, eyes in a daze, “No, we can’t do this.”

“Okay,” he agrees easily, blood pumping in his head. He puts her down gently, still in his high, “What’s wrong?”

“I feel like a cheater,” Veronica sighs, “I don’t want us to start like this, not behind Betty or Archie.”

“I don’t mind,” Jughead says, “I can wait.”

Her eyes aren’t dark as it used to be. He thinks he can see the warmth of the color brown. Veronica whispers, “You can?”

He smiles, “Tell you what. A year from today, maybe we can meet each other and try again. Maybe we’re ready then.”

Veronica melts, “Okay.”

They stay quiet for a minute. Jughead starts, “You know, you used to remind me of Joanie. Unpredictable, dramatic.”

“Joanie?” Veronica questions.

“’Rose my color is and white,’” he recites, “’pretty mouth and green my eyes.’”

Recognition fills her features. “I don’t even have green eyes.”

“Neither did Joanie,” Jughead shrugs, “I thought we’d be like them, Joanie and Arthur, but I was only seeing a part of you, like Arthur did.”

Veronica walks over to him, plants a tantalizing kiss on the side of his lips. He shudders at the contact. Her breath tickles his ear, “One year, and maybe the dreams I’ve been thinking about may finally come true.”

He wraps his arms around her waist, lets her settle on his chest. His heart is going twenty miles per hour, but somehow, he is steady. They stay like that for a while, their dreams feeling realer by the minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi thanks for reading! was inspired from a tiktok trend where two people bump to each other and they get a vision of them making out lol. hope you like it! the next chapter might take long, but it will be set a year after this. stay safe always <33


	2. it's never too late

Betty once told her that Veronica loved punishing herself. She had no answer to that—what do you answer to an observation that was true? She’s a masochist, she realized, maybe that’s a good thing on its own. Better than being a sadist, better than the person she was before.

She thinks about the conversation a lot in her mind. Right before they left Riverdale for college, the two best friends had laid down in Betty’s room, in between the clothes they packed and an almost bare room.

Veronica said, “I have a soulmate.”

Betty paused for a while before nodding. She didn’t look back at Veronica, not even once. “I know. Archie told me.”

“How would he know?” Veronica asked through furrowed eyebrows. She thinks she remembers the smell of cookies downstairs. Alice was cooking up snacks for them, and they had eaten it all in a tearful goodbye.

“Fred has a soulmate. Jughead would go to him for advice and… well, it was trial and error from there,” the blonde replied.

“Oh—”

“But you two never tried.”

“ _B_ ,” Veronica stressed out. She had already sprung up, was already looking down on her feet. She explained hastily, “I couldn’t do that to you.”

“You’ve done it already, though? You stole two men from my life,” Betty said.

Veronica hung her head in shame. Her heart was erratic, and she could taste the disappointment in the blonde. It tasted hot and bitter at the same time.

Betty sighed from behind her. There was rustling as she walked over to the door, never once looking back at Veronica. Betty was strong like that. She said in finality, “I don’t blame you, Veronica. I think I pity you more… you always seem to love punishing yourself.”

The next day, Betty and Archie flew off to California, their pinkies intertwined the whole trip.

* * *

The two ~~former~~ best friends still send messages to each other, but even those seem forced (they _must_ get together sometime or set a _date_ to visit each other, neither plans going through). The moment summer vacation’s begun, after a full year at university, Veronica realized she didn’t want to go back to Riverdale at all. Not because Betty’s already posted a story on her Instagram that she’s on a plane with Archie stealing a small kiss on her cheek. _Why would I care about that, mom?_ Her mother hummed on the other side of the phone, reluctant to approve. Still, Hermione Lodge must have sparked another relationship because the prospect of keeping the Pembrooke longer to herself enticed her too much. Out of familial obligation, her mother still sends her allowance for rent only.

Unfortunately, this means her other necessities aren’t paid for. So, the day has come: Veronica Lodge needs to get a job.

Sarah, a close batchmate of hers, suggested that she could be a student assistant in their college. Veronica had to shirk her nose form that one; if she wanted to get yelled at by cranky older men, she might as well go back to Riverdale and work under her mother. No, Veronica thinks it is time for her to open her horizons and experience something else.

“You could always intern. New York’s such a big place, anyone would hire you,” Jughead says in between bites of runny eggs.

Veronica huffs, closing _The New York Times_ and tossing it on the small dining table. She sits down next to him, frowning, “No one’s going to hire a degree-less student.”

“Well, I’m sorry to say,” Jughead shrugs, reaching for the toast, “I guess you have to work part-time.”

“Ugh, but not fast-food chains,” Veronica inhales, “I don’t want my hair to get frizzy from all the oil.”

He rolls his eyes but does not dare voice anything aloud. Instead, he offers, “Toni’s bar is looking for waitresses.”

She frowns, “But that’s like in Brooklyn. No way am I going down there.”

“You can always be a student assistant, you know. Maybe you can apply at the library or something and we get to be co-workers,” Jughead tells her. He glances at his watch before quickly standing up, “Oh crap, I’m almost late.”

Veronica waves him off, “You’re lucky your professors are actual human beings.”

He laughs, the sides of his eyes crinkling, “What do you know: not caring about money actually makes you likeable.”

She smiles back and watches him take off.

Unexpectedly, (or not, after all, they _are_ soulmates) Veronica met Jughead on their first day in uni. In a coffee shop near the dorms, he plopped over to the chair in front of her. Jaw dropped and in the middle of a delicious bagel, Veronica had almost choked because she was sure she looked ridiculous at that moment. He did not mention anything at all regarding what she looked like, not one glance at her thrifted dress or the small locket in lieu of her pearls. No, Jughead Jones looked at her, cracked a grin and said appallingly, “Isn’t this quite the coincidence?”

And Veronica had to laugh because it wasn’t a coincidence. No, she found herself unbelieving in the coincidental ever since they found out they were soulmates.

“Though I have to admit,” Jughead shrugged. A waitress came by to deliver his black coffee, momentarily blocking him from her view, “I already knew you were going to NYU.”

Veronica nodded, composure back in a snap, “And you realized you can’t live without me? I’m flattered, Jones.”

Jughead laughed, for a moment time seemed to freeze. It struck Veronica how much he had grown: his lashes had gotten longer, his jaw more prominent, but it’s the crow’s feet that suddenly appeared when he smiled that made her heart skip a beat. He wasn’t at all the Jughead she knew from high school and he proved it by saying, “Something like that.”

* * *

She decides to work at Toni’s bar: **Pretty Poison**.

“You know any fashion magazine would take you. You’re a Lodge, after all,” Toni says during Veronica’s training. At that moment, Toni had just finished teaching her how to work the cashier. The bar itself isn’t anything unique (in New York, unique is a feat almost impossible to reach); a chill lounge with small bands playing on weekends. Toni and Cheryl had built the place months ago (its anniversary is almost up), after falling in love in New York. Cheryl poured her trust fund into it, against the wishes of her mother, but it’s not like she had a say in it. Jason had encouraged her, too—so that’s all of Penelope’s children rebelled against her. Veronica can only empathize.

“Everyone’s forgotten about the Lodges,” Veronica replies, “They’re already fixated on the next new thing. The most our family can be is just another article in the opinion section of the _Times_.”

“Like people still read newspapers,” Toni scoffs. She maneuvers around the bar, to the customer’s side of the counter. Offhandedly, she says, “Make me a martini, let me see if you picked up something.”

Veronica frowns before looking for the gin and vermouth that Toni had pointed out earlier. “Jughead still reads those. Also, I thought I was supposed to be waitressing.”

“Yeah, but you should learn to man the bar just in case. Even the basics won’t hurt,” Toni shrugs. “Speaking of Jughead, when are the two of you getting together?”

“ _Toni_ ,” she warns, cleaning the glass she had picked up, “It’s great to be friends with him. We’ve never tried that during high school.”

“Yeah, because you two have savior complexes when it comes to Betty and Archie. It’s like you guys are afraid to hurt them,” Toni scoffs. She runs a hand through her hair, still pink and bright but she had cut it shorter into a pixie cut. New city, new style, she supposed.

“I guess, but I still stand by it. I think what we did was right and mature,” Veronica replies.

“Or, you know, cowardly and stupid, but I suppose it’s just a matter of perception,” Toni says, the last part dripping sarcastically. Veronica finishes up the martini and Toni takes a sip, nodding with approval. She sets the glass down on the counter to start again, “You know, when I told Jughead you guys liked each other, I didn’t think you would dance around for this long.”

Veronica stays quiet for a moment, pursing her lips. She drums her fingers on the counter, processing on what to say before reluctantly replying, “Look, T, I know you were trying to help but you should have just let him figure out on his own.”

“What do you mean?” Toni frowns.

“I always get the feeling that he only likes me because I’m his soulmate,” Veronica sighs out her insecurities. It feels liberating somehow, because God knows she could not air out her frustrations to Betty or Archie because she already knew the disappointing looks they’d give, or even to her mother who couldn’t care less about boy problems, and not even to Cheryl because she sucked at comforting. The next best person would be Jughead, but who would want to be comforted by the same person who caused her problems?

“ _What?_ ” Toni screeches, “V, that’s ridiculous. He genuinely likes you.”

Veronica pauses. She’s practiced this conversation in her head so many times, “If you hadn’t confronted him about us, then would you honestly say he would still like me? Before you said anything, he hated everything I stood for.”

“But that’s—!” Toni falters. She sputters on, trying to keep the momentum, “Look, you guys are soulmates; you two are bound for each other!”

“I wish we weren’t,” Veronica whispers. “I don’t want the universe telling me who I can or cannot like. Maybe then I’d actually have some honest relationships in my life.”

Toni lowers her eyes, defeated, “I’m sorry, Veronica.”

* * *

The moment she realized she had fallen for Jughead was the start of their senior year. That particular summer leading up to their first day of the last year of high school was filled with random text messages and hushed meetings at Pop’s. She always enjoyed Jughead’s company (though she would _never_ tell anyone that, no matter what) but it was the little gestures that made her heart flutter.

When she was unable to sleep, Veronica’s first thought was to text him and though their conversation was always harmless (always _just focus on your breathing_ or _better finish your chemistry hw then_ , never anything more), it warmed Veronica to know that he was willing to text her back. In turn, when he could not sleep, it was her he only texted with a flimsy excuse that he could not wake Betty up. She offered that they watch a movie together, and it always ended with them snoring their way to the morning.

She heard about soulmates from her _abuela_. The old woman had said that “soulmates are forever, _mija_. It’s the universe telling you that you have someone to spend the rest of your life with. And you can never let go of a love that’s been blessed by God.”

And during the opening ceremony in the auditorium when Weatherbee was yapping about welcoming the freshman and offering some encouraging words to the seniors, Jughead had tapped her shoulder then. He was beside Betty, who was hooked on every word Weatherbee was saying. So, she had turned and raised an eyebrow. He had that playful smile then, a boyish smile, that smile that boys had when a joke was running in their mind or was looking for someone to tease. He had whispered so close to her ears that it made her back shiver and her neck too warm for her liking. She only registered the words “Weatherbee” and “wig” and “uptight.” Her heart skipped a beat when he pulled away, snickering at his little joke, and _oh god why did he look so hot at that moment_ and _when did his fingers get that long I want them in my_ —

Veronica snapped out of it. Jughead had looked over to her curiously, even Betty and Archie were looking over his shoulder, but they could not shake her from the revelation she had.

And if Veronica tried to find every excuse to touch Jughead ever since, then what was the harm in that?

* * *

They decided to move in together for the summer because they weren’t enrolling for the summer and their respective dorms had kicked them out. Veronica hated the idea at first; she was contented with their budding friendship of late-night movies or scouring Times Square to look for burgers that remind them of Pop’s. Rooming in with him meant pushing the boundaries… to Veronica, it meant that her feelings towards him would come rushing back in.

But Jughead is respectful as a roommate and lends her books she’d never imagined reading. They set aside some few hours to watch foreign movies or Netflix if they didn’t want to think too much. And, best of all, he has a job, so Veronica relies on his take-outs when her allowance runs out. There is still the space that they’ve gotten used to, any closer and Veronica feels she might break the illusion of their friendship. Friendship, because Veronica’s not at all sure of what they are. The crazy part is that the dreams and flashes stopped completely. She does not know what it means, and she’s too scared to ask.

No one mentions between them how their apartment is similar to a particular dream they had together about two years ago.

After her official first day at Pretty Poison, Veronica treats him with pho.

“How’s Toni?” Jughead asks, slurping the soup.

“She’s fine,” Veronica shrugs, “She said she was planning on dyeing her hair purple.”

He rolls his eyes at that, “Please, she chickens out once she gets to the salon. It’s a miracle Cheryl managed convince her to cut her hair shorter.”

She laughs half-heartedly.

He notices this and immediately comments on it, “What’s wrong?”

Veronica shakes her head. She offers a not-so convincing smile, which only serves to furrow Jughead’s eyebrows more. She hastily explains, “Nothing, I guess I got tired from work.”

Jughead is not convinced, but even he must know of the illusion they’re trying so hard to keep, so he moves on forward, “I almost got fired from work today.”

“What?” Veronica laughs, her shoulders relaxing.

“Yeah,” Jughead starts, his chopsticks pointing at her, “So, I got inspired for a while and decided to type something for, you know, ‘The Next Great American Novel,’”

He pauses for a bit, grinning because Veronica had chanted the latter part with him.

“So, I got to finish a chapter, and my boss marched up to me and pointed at the batch of papers I was supposed to be working on. He confiscated my laptop, but thankfully not my job,” he finishes. He immediately slurps on his noodles.

Jughead has gotten better in storytelling over the years, and it’s evident by how much he can command a room’s attention through his stories. Though, he is still the introvert she’s come to know, proved by the fact that his idea of a fun Saturday night is in their couch skipping through YouTube videos like an addiction. (Veronica doesn’t want to admit that it’s also her idea of fun—more cuddling, if possible).

“How is your novel? You’ve been working on it since sophomore year, right?” Veronica asks, cringing mentally when she adds, “Betty told me.”

He bobs his head, “Yeah, it was supposed to be a collection of short stories about Riverdale, but…”

“But?” she asks distractedly. She’s busy trying to get the thin meat with her chopsticks.

Jughead soften his eyes, it goes unnoticed by Veronica, and shakes his head, “Nothing. I just found a different topic to write about.”

Veronica successfully gets the piece of meat and quickly eats it by lowering her head to the bowl. She smiles sheepishly while chewing and replies after, “That’s great, Jug. You should write about things you love.”

Jughead leans over with a tissue to wipe a splash of the soup that had gotten on her cheek after her little mock battle with the soup. He echoes, “Yeah, things that I love.”

* * *

On the day of her father’s funeral, many of the Riverdale residents will tell you that Veronica was unflinching when she marched the steps and gave her short eulogy. Many would make the false assumption that she was uncaring and ultimately, she hated her father. She walked down the aisle with her fur coat, her mother’s disapproving glare, and the whole town of Riverdale at awe. And though the former her would have lapped up this confidence, she can only grab the insecurities hurled at her.

In the coffin, her father looked as if he was having a bad dream. The wrinkles on his forehead were permanent, and not even the make-up could smoothen his complexion. This was a bad person, who did bad things, who made everything hard for her friends, for the town she had come to love.

And yet he was her father.

She doesn’t remember the eulogy from her mother, from the sheriff, from anyone else. She mulled over hers for the whole day, she could not shake the feeling of not saying enough. It was short, a lot of thank yous and rest in peaces thrown around. But it had taken hours for her to come up with her closing statement; “Wherever you may be, I know you deserve it. Had I known it would be our last time with each other, I would have said more, but now we will _never_ cross paths again.”

He was buried six feet under, and Veronica was right above him.

When everyone had gone, and her mother could not sway her to go home, Veronica found herself right beside Jughead. The wind came sporadically, causing their hair and clothes to dance with the breeze momentarily. Her fur coat, fortunately or unfortunately, was intact as ever.

“My condolences,” he muttered, voice low.

“You don’t have to lie,” she had said, her chin pointed high, “everyone wanted him dead.”

“Sure,” he had shrugged, “but he was your father. You cannot run away from that.”

Veronica exhaled through her nose. “Why are you here?”

Jughead pulled out cigarettes from his pockets and offered her one. Veronica dabbled in smoking a few times, and she craved for a little high at that moment, so she took it gracefully. Under the waning sun, they shared the lighter he brought out. They were quiet for a moment, their smoke mingling in the air.

And it could have been the end of that, but he had to add, “It’s okay to cry sometimes, Kino.”

She shed a lone tear, unable to resist. Jughead did not comment on it, nor did he interject when later that night, she had called him, sobbing and asking politely (as if she was not in a wreck) for him to watch Pride and Prejudice with her.

* * *

Jughead surprises her two weeks into her work by dropping in.

“You should stay during our peak hours,” Toni tells him. Weekdays (which Veronica carefully chooses for her shifts) mean that the bar is scarce. Only Toni’s undying patrons, those who live around the corner or their other fellow recruits or Cheryl, are present in these quiet moments. Veronica wondered at first why Toni chose to open the bar at three in the afternoon, but seeing the lonely, ragged faces of some of the customers never lets the question off her lips.

“I don’t even like to drink,” Jughead scowls.

“Why are you here then?” Toni rolls her eyes in response.

Jughead mutters something unintelligible before walking up to the counter. He gestures at Veronica’s place with the alcohols and spirits and asks, “I thought the job was waitressing.”

“Yeah, well,” Veronica shrugs, “Not much waitressing in an almost empty bar, right?”

Toni glares at Veronica as she herself takes a seat next to Jughead. “Look, I _needed_ a waitress for our busy nights! But somehow Queen Bee over here convinced Cricket to change shifts with her.”

Jughead laughs, “Yeah, that sounds a lot like Ronnie.”

“Plus, being the bartender’s kind of nice,” Veronica muses, interjecting their conversation, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, “I’m like Kino.”

“Kino?” Toni raises an eyebrow.

Jughead, meanwhile, has his eyes glinting with familiarity. He explains, his gaze never leaving Veronica. “It’s a short story by Haruki Murakami. Kino was a bartender.”

Toni wrinkles her nose, “I thought he was a novelist.”

“He’s got plenty of short stories, you should read some of them,” Veronica says. Her eyes are lowered, focused on wiping the shot glasses that seem to be breaking in her hands.

In walks in Cheryl, the red-haired diva who had captured Toni’s heart. She bellows the establishment, waking some of the tired customers, “Good afternoon, mortals. How’s your day now that I’ve lighten up your dull, boring lives?”

The three friends spin to her direction, the woman plopping down next to her girlfriend. She quickly covers Toni’s face with kisses, the latter’s cheeks blushing from the matte lipstick. Cheryl adds, “Not you, babe.”

Jughead asks, foregoing any hellos, while both Toni and Veronica look over amusedly, “How was school, Cheryl?”

“If you must know, hobo, I’m absolutely killing it. Nothing less from me, of course,” Cheryl harrumphs, “But, strangely enough, I’m more interested in the rumors surrounding you—I heard you got picked up by a publishing company.”

Veronica whips her head towards Jughead, jaw slacked, “You _did_?”

Jughead glares at Cheryl, heat overtaking his features. Sighing, he confesses, facing Veronica, “It’s not a big deal. They were just interested at my draft, lots of books don’t go past the pitching phase.”

“But it’s not pitching, is it, Humphrey?” Cheryl raises her nose in the air. “I heard you’ve finished your manuscript.”

“Okay, where are you getting your info from?” Jughead demands. He switches his glare to Toni, who looks guilty as charged, never once joining in with the back-and-forth the two batchmates were participating on. “ _Topaz_.”

“I didn’t tell her _that_ much,” Toni says weakly. “I may have mentioned in passing that you were working on a book, but even I don’t know that you got picked up by a publisher.”

Jughead sighs irritably, “It was supposed to be a surprise. Thanks a lot, Gossip Girl.”

“You’re welcome,” Cheryl maniacally claps. “Ronnie, sweetie, can you go get that Bordeaux from the storage? We need to celebrate this, right?”

Veronica makes a face, the entirety of the conversation has confused her, more with the fact that Cheryl actively knew about Jughead’s manuscript and its adventure towards its publishing. She knows Jughead and she knows his words—he has always been destined for writing. She’s not at all hurt by the revelation, though she cannot help the twinge of jealousy that the two girls knew about it beforehand. And why does he always first approach Toni at everything? Jughead’s the only person she trusts to spill everything onto.

Still, she begrudgingly walks to the back, through the door at the corner of the bar, knowing that (in a cruel, dramatic irony) Cheryl is technically her boss. She picks out the Bordeaux quickly because never it be said that Veronica Lodge, despite her slightly less privileged situation, does not know her wine. Although, it isn’t that hard, considering that there’s only a handful of bottles to choose from.

Before she can fully walk outside, she hears their conversation,

“—if you’re not going to confront her about it, _I_ will,” Cheryl seethes.

“Babe—”

“Cheryl, I’m not having this conversation with _you_ of all people. I’ve already laid out a plan, and just because you felt like interfering with us lowly people, it doesn’t give you the rights to do it!” Jughead’s raising his voice. She’s never heard him this agitated.

“Oh, you wish you could afford my presence! I would not be telling you all this if Toni hadn’t—”

“Guys!” Toni bursts out. Veronica hears some shuffling, and presumably the woman is trying to hush their fight. She knows very well how thin the walls are. This is where Veronica chooses to enter the bar again, hopefully to quell their brief awkwardness.

“I found an unopened one, is that okay?” Veronica asks sheepishly.

The three of them huddled in a close position before quickly sprinting apart. Cheryl grins, no signs of disturbance on her face. Meanwhile, the other two of the group look like they’ve sucked on a lemon.

“Fantastic!” the red-haired woman beams.

They take the subway back to their apartment.

“What were you planning for the surprise?” Veronica asks. They’ve cramped together in the compartment of the train. In exchange for the peacefulness in Pretty Poison, the end of her shift invites the rush hour of workers itching to go home, thus the influx of people. Though the city has always been filled to the brim, at least at about past eight p.m., the space is breathable somehow.

“Well, I was going to host a house party, shocking I know,” Jughead quips the last part when he sees Veronica open her mouth to retort. “Just a few people, of course. Some of my batchmates and you and your co-workers… I’d announce it with a few taps on my glass, like a master in a mansion before the murder, and just tell you, I guess.”

Veronica cannot help the smile blossoming on her face. “That’s actually really sweet, Jug.”

He rolls his eyes, “It _was_ supposed to be sweet. Cheryl has it out for me apparently.”

She pauses. Hesitantly, she asks, “Does that have anything to do with the fight you were having earlier?”

His eyes glaze over hers. Bluer than blue, she manages think, always that’s what she thinks. She can always see his pupils narrow in suspicion, the gears mechanically tinkering in his brain. His blue isn’t the ocean or the sky or of nature of any kind. His blue is mechanical, she reasons, like the screen of a crashed computer, like the futuristic light right off the phone’s screen. And he replies just as logically, “How much did you hear?”

“Not a lot, some things about Cheryl ruining your plan,” she whispers.

He shakes his head, sighing. He pinches his nose, he does this when he’s irritated, and lets out another deep breath. Jughead faces her again, grabbing the handle near her. He’s covering her with his body, and she has to strain her neck a little more upwards to catch the fire in his eyes. His breath is hot on her face, “Look, I honestly don’t want to talk about the devil incarnate right now. In return, maybe I can let you in on a little secret.”

“Oh?” she raises an eyebrow.

“The book I wrote… it’s going to be published later in the year,” he replies.

Veronica blisters, “What? No _way_ , that fast?”

He shrugs, “Surprised me too. But, uh, I’ve been working on it for two years. I want you to read it.”

“Do I get a signed copy?” she teases, heart a-flutter. Pride fills in her lungs, and she can only breathe the bliss they have at that moment.

“Anything for you, Ronnie,” he chimes automatically. In all seriousness, his gaze falters, “I want you to read it before it’s announced.”

It’s the honesty in his eyes that makes her breathless. She speaks as if she’s catching for air, “Okay.”

* * *

Cheryl takes her out for lunch on Veronica’s first paycheck. Though Veronica can pay, Cheryl insists getting the bill because she is apparently Mother Teresa now. But Veronica knows how college had hit both of them—two formerly popular high schoolers who realized that popularity means nothing at all. Not in top universities, not when everyone else seemed so smart and extraordinary.

The petite woman had kept her athletic body by joining the cheer team in Columbia University. Her muscles are more prominent, though, on her arms and on her legs. She looks like a proper athlete now, not the half-hearted dances the Vixens used to do.

“So,” Cheryl starts after asking for the bill, “I heard from Toni your conversation and, I have to say, you should have come to me for help. Toni doesn’t know you, and she and Jughead pretty much have the same brain.”

“Look, Cher, I didn’t come down here to talk about—”

The redhead raises a hand to interrupt. “You’re stubborn to a fault, V, but that’s to be expected from a former city socialite. _But_ , you and Jughead have been running around this for years now, and since Toni made a move, even if we promised we’d let you figure it out, I’m here to talk.”

Veronica rolls her eyes, “So, I’m assuming this lunch isn’t to celebrate that I’m finally working? And Toni’s with Jughead right now?”

“Yes to both,” Cheryl hums. “I know you’re afraid of another relationship, but I don’t understand _why_ this one. This is pretty much the safest relationship you can bet on.”

“Cher,” Veronica starts.

“Are you afraid he still loves Betty?” she asks the question Veronica’s too scared to ask herself.

She pauses. Cheryl sighs in front of her and asks, “Didn’t he leave her for you?”

“No, that’s not it,” Veronica decides. “I don’t think I deserve him.”

“V, that’s ridiculous. You’re _amazing_.”

“Cher,” she starts, unable to keep it in. Veronica does not know why she feels agitated all of a sudden, but Cheryl has always been such a good friend (despite the fact she’s too self-absorbed to actually churn out any good advice) and, unlike Toni, they’ve been together a lot, so she gives in and sputters out the truth, “I haven’t been getting any dreams anymore.”

“What?” her friend asks, jaw dropped.

“Not even flashes,” Veronica rambles out, “Earlier this year, they were occasional, but now we moved in? Nothing at all. I mean… can you even change soulmates? What if the universe realized we shouldn’t have been together in the first place?”

Cheryl purses her lips, her eyes softening. “Oh, I-I don’t know. I think you should talk about this with Jughead.”

Veronica looks down. Her eyes feel like crying, but she hasn’t had a good cry ever since her father died, “It’s not as easy as it seems Cher. I mean, Jughead and I are okay, but I don’t think out friendship can take this.”

Cheryl grabs Veronica’s hand over the table. Cheryl always had cold eyes, dark and strong, but they’ve been getting warmer, and Veronica almost smiles at the amount of care the couple gives her. “Talk to him, V. No one knows anything about this soulmates business, _I_ don’t even know if Toni and I are soulmates. But I think that getting soulmates is really special. Jughead makes you happy, and you make him tolerable for me, so why are you overthinking everything?”

Because she and Jughead never talk about it? Because the last time they kissed, last year on New Year’s Eve, right at midnight, Betty and Archie had caught them and it was awkward? Because why isn’t she getting any flashes anymore? Why does she always have dreamless sleeps? And it’s all so scary because boys to her have always been accessories, and she’s never really _had_ a relationship. Maybe Archie, once, but how can she have that when Jughead had to appear?

The questions knock on her head. Cheryl’s right, Veronica overthinks a lot. But even if she mulls it over and over, she knows deep down that nothing’s going to be resolved, not unless she talks to Jughead about it.

Cheryl holds her hand tighter, as if to say that she’s exactly right behind her, and Veronica manages to smile back. Maybe she can grab the confidence Cheryl seem to exude and use it for herself.

Veronica arrives at about nine, a bit tired from the heavy conversation during lunch _and_ having to work right after. She throws her coat over the coat rack and tumbles over to the couch. She sinks in it, sighing at the comfort it gives.

“How was work?” Jughead asks from behind her.

“Tiring,” she sighs.

“That’s a first,” he chuckles and plops right next to her.

She doesn’t want to get into it, so she doesn’t reply. For the first time, awkward silence fills the room. Veronica looks over to Jughead, running his fingers through his hair too many times for it to be normal. Jughead has since dropped his weird yet adorable beanie hat. She remembers seeing it in his room a few times, but she never questions it at all. She knows a thing or two about living your past behind.

He clears his throat, “Uh, Toni and I had lunch today.”

She rolls her eyes, “Yeah, I know. Cheryl and I had lunch too.”

Realization hits his face. His mouth shapes into an ‘o,’ as the couple’s plans reveal themselves. He nods, swallowing nervously, “Yeah, well, even if they planned it, it made me think about a couple of things.”

Oh no, Veronica sighs in her head. At the same time, she has expected it. Like Cheryl said, Toni and Jughead had always been able to talk to each other. It’s not a surprise that he falls for what Toni said.

“Look, Jug—”

“I want you to read my book,” he starts, and Veronica raises her eyebrows because, well, this was not how she expected the conversation to go.

“But I thought it still had to go to the editor and stuff…” she trails off.

Jughead shakes his head, “Look, I’ll lend you the manuscript tonight and… I want to know an answer when you’re done reading it.”

“Answer to what?” she asks incredulously.

“You’ll know,” is his vague reply.

* * *

So, she reads the manuscript, an unedited form and newly printed so there aren’t any marks at all. Jughead reminds her that if there’s any error or typo, it’s not yet the definitive version and it will be approved upon. Veronica thinks it’s cute how nervous he still gets when showing his writing to others. She remembers his pieces for the Blue & Gold, and how much he became flustered when she sometimes complimented his article.

On a Sunday, she devotes her time to finish the book. It’s about three hundred pages, a normal size for a novel. She reads the temporary title of the book and her breath hitches, _The Thing about Soulmates_.

Greedily, she finishes the novel by the time dinner rolls around.

As the clock hits seven, she walks outside her room, finds Jughead with takeout from Wendy’s, and closes the distance between them. Before Jughead can say anything (probably something about the food he bought), Veronica pulls him down and kisses him square on the mouth.

Jughead staggers at first, but he quickly catches on. His arms wrap around her waist immediately, pulling her even closer to him. She wraps hers around his neck, their chests touching, and her heart absolutely palpitating like crazy. Though it’s supposed to be a quick kiss, Jughead opens his mouth to slide his tongue over, Veronica responding just as well. She feels his warm breath on her lips, and how the hot the back of his neck had gotten.

Dazed, they pull away at the same time, but they do not let go of their hold on each other. “Wow,” “Oh my God.”

Their eyes meet and Jughead gives her the softest look she’s ever seen. This is like his calls with Betty but more: a faraway look in his eyes, a blush right on his neck, his eyes that seem to hold her as if she’s the only thing in the room right now. She blushes and clears her throat, “I-I finished the book.”

“What did you think?” he murmurs. It sends shiver down her spine.

“Well, there’s a lot of typos, for one,” she huffs, but Jughead does not call her out on it. In fact, he stands there with the same look on his face. She bites her bottom lip, realizing the seriousness of his question, and admits, “It’s about us?”

He smiles, nodding as if that’s the right answer, “I think I haven’t been doing a good job of showing how much you mean to me.”

Veronica’s heart gallops to her throat. She shakes her head, “No, I-I was scared, Jug.”

“And I should’ve tried to get rid of those fears,” he says, “Look, Ronnie, I know you think I love you because the universe set us up, but that’s not true; I’ll love you even if we aren’t soulmates.”

Oh my God, Veronica wants to tear up. _Love?_ He _loves_ her? She doesn’t know if she should shed those tears or kiss him more. But if this is the time to say the truth, then she’ll say hers, “But everything’s so vague. The dreams just stopped and we’re not having flashes anymore—”

Jughead laughs, settling his forehead on hers. He grabs one of her hands and places it over the left of his chest, Veronica’s words die on her as she feels the heartbeat under her fingers: it’s going just as fast as Veronica’s right now. He assures her, “I’ve asked around about soulmates. The dreams stop when we’ve finally gotten together.”

“But we’ve only just talked about it now,” she points out with a frown.

He shakes his head, “Haven’t we been acting like a couple long enough?”

She gasps. “Does that count?”

“Well, Fred said that when he and Mary got together, they stopped having those,” Jughead chuckles. He pushes a stray hair from Veronica’s face over to the back of her ear. “I’m sorry for taking so long. I was scared for a while too, I thought I was out of your league,”

Veronica is shaking her head with his words.

“and I thought maybe you realized you didn’t need a soulmate. I think I got too comfortable with what we have and that we didn’t need to talk about it,” Jughead rambles on. He looks apologetic, but his hands are in his cheeks and he feels warm and right and it’s like she’s floating in a dream and…

“I thought I didn’t deserve you,” she whimpers. Why are tears prickling on the side of her eyes? She’s not supposed to be crying, this is supposed to be a happy moment.

“ _I_ thought I didn’t deserve you.”

They laugh. It’s silly, Veronica thinks, how easy a person discredits themselves, how their loved ones seem too good to be true.

Her eyes twinkle as she watches his eyes. Bluer than blue, she repeats, his eyes don’t seem that mechanical anymore, they’ve soften to the color of the ocean right by the shore, before the darkness of the blue, a soft blue that warms her to the tips of her toes.

“I love you, too, Jug,” she whispers.

He kisses her and Veronica thinks that this is exactly what she dreamt about all those years ago.

* * *

The launch party for his book is in an hour, but Veronica is not halfway done yet.

“This is why you lie to me that the party’s an hour earlier, so we _don’t_ be late,” Veronica huffs in their bathroom. She’s just finished priming her face and is about to dab into her foundation when she hears Jughead’s sigh in the living room.

“I forgot this time,” he admits through the door. “But can you _please_ try to get ready faster?”

“I’m not even done with makeup or my hair!” she exclaims. Still, she does fasten her pace, knowing how much this event is important to him.

About twenty minutes later, she’s finished with her makeup and forego having to curl her hair, instead bringing it up to a cute, small bun. She pats her dress down, the bright red dress hugging her figure perfectly, though it’s also thanks to her corset underneath, and carefully makes sure there’s not a mark or a dent to its perfection.

She opens the door and announces that she’s ready.

“Oh, thank God—” Jughead pauses as he registers what she looks like. He smiles a little as he walks over to her, pecking her lips, “You look beautiful.”

“I always do,” Veronica shrugs, winking at him. Before she can move towards the door, Jughead stops her.

“Uh,” he swallows, his hand hovering over her chin, “maybe we can be a little late?”

“Jug, this is _your_ party. Everyone’s going to be looking for you,” she huffs, but she cannot help revel a little of her effect on him.

He presses butterfly kisses on her neck, her knees weaken, and she revels on his effect on her as well.

They arrive thirty minutes late to the party, smiles as bright as the stars.

_The Thing about Soulmates_

_To Veronica,_

_the love of my life, even without the universe telling us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg thank u sm for the comments. i really appreciate them all. even my fave jeronica writers commented and i freaked about it so bad. i hope u liked this chapter. i rlly love writing for jeronica <3 again thank uu for those who commented and gave kudos to this story ill see u on my next one <3


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